Jonathan continued, but his voice dropped low, barely above a whisper. “He snuck in, my father, armed with a vicious poison called Emerus Sands.”“I’ve never heard of it,” Amelia said. “It’s unique to our pack. It’s…it’s really awful. Like, one of the worst. When administered, the victim just feels sleepy. At first, anyway. They don’t even know they’ve been poisoned. At this stage, there’s still time for the antidote. The effects can be reversed. But not for long. Because the victim will start to feel so tired, they’ll HAVE to lay down. And once the victim falls asleep…” Jonathan’s voice trailed off. He wasn’t looking forward to this next part of the story. He looked to Amelia. She sat happily, nibbling her cheese, waiting for him to continue. She had no idea what was coming. “The poison takes hold while they sleep. It pumps quickly through their veins. It’s said it feels like fire flowing through their body. The poison forms little stones, like little grains
“My, my mother?” Amelia let go of Jonathan’s hands and took a few steps back. “But how? How is that possible?” “When she saw Agatha, and the condition she was in, I guess she fainted. So your dad, he reached for the water on the bedside stand. To help her when she came to.” “The poisoned water?” Amelia asked. Her hands were sweaty and her heart pounded in her chest. She knew her mother’s death had been untimely, and she’d heard whispers of ‘treason’ and ‘poison’ and ‘murder’, but she’d blocked them all out. And now? Now Jonathan was here confirming everything. “They didn’t know it was poisoned.” “With Emerus Sands?” The weight of the situation hit Amelia so hard it literally made her dizzy. She stumbled over to the bed and sat down. Jonathan hurried to her side. He knelt down on the floor at her feet and looked up at her. The look in her eyes said everything. Her mother had been murdered
“I had a few reasons for joining Silver Moon Group,” Jonathan told Amelia. Since he’d already confessed the worst truths he knew, (like how Amelia’s mother really died), he decided to tell her the rest. If her opinion of him had already changed, and she no longer had feelings for him because of his awful past, then telling her the truth about Silver Moon Group couldn’t possibly make things any worse. “Such as?” Amelia asked. She was curious. What more could he possibly be hiding? His father was a criminal that murdered her mom, his pack dappled in dangerous poisons, his mother was possibly hiding the truth about Lucas. Oh, and he was a Wolf of Gold. Why had he come to Silver Moon Group? Amelia could only imagine…At first, she’d thought Jonathan was a human, but then she’d found out he was a werewolf and she’d wondered about his motives. She hadn’t completely trusted him because he was so elusive. She understood why now, though. He was hiding some pretty hefty secrets.Ame
“You used to visit the Eclipse Pack? When you were young?” Amelia asked. She has memories of a young boy, a playmate. The memories are strong and vivid. He had been important to her, a real friend. They’d played on the tire swing by the old oak tree in the corner of the park for hours. They’d told each other secrets and confessed their fears and dreams. She hadn’t really thought about him a lot over the years, but every once and awhile, she’d see something that reminded her of him – a tire swing, the pull tab from a bottle of Coke, a daisy chain.His face never left her memory. She could still see it clearly. He had green eyes, the little boy. The exact same color as Jonathan’s. But this was…this was impossible! “Yeah. My mom brought me by to play. I liked it at the Eclipse Pack. Everyone was really nice. There was this one girl, though. She was so cute. She had chubby cheeks and she was a bit bossy. But I didn’t mind. Oh, and she loved Coke. I swear she’d drink
Jonathan wanted to stay with Amelia. In fact, he’d never wanted anything so badly. They’d almost kissed and he knew, in his heart of hearts, that it was true love. But his stupid mother! Ugh! She’d barged in at exactly the wrong time. And now she was demanding that Jonathan exercise decorum and bring Amelia back to her room. They were adults for crying out loud! Was Sephora being serious? If they wanted to spend the night together, nothing could stop them. Well…almost nothing. Jonathan whispered an “I’m sorry” to Amelia. Then he did what was asked. He brought her back to the guest room. He told her to lock the door. He’d come and get her as soon as he could and they’d leave. That night. “I’ve had enough of it here,” he whispered. “Pack your things. Let’s go back to the resort.” Amelia nodded, relieved. “But your mom? What will she say when she finds out we’re leaving in the middle of the night?” “She won’t kn
Gabriel poked at his eggs and sighed. His mother was yammering on and on about someone back at Stormfang Pack. Gabriel barely knew who she was talking about. “And then, Gabriel, then he accused ME of cheating! Can you imagine? Me? Cheating? At a stupid game of cards? Honestly,” Vivenne huffed. “Well did you Mother,” Gabriel asked, not even trying to hide the annoyance in his voice “Did I what?” she asked, slicing into a thick piece of French toast. “Did you cheat?” Vivenne blinked slowly three times. Then she said in an exasperated tone, “If I wanted to cheat, Gabriel, I ASSURE you I wouldn’t get caught.” The waitress filled their coffee cups. Again. Gabriel tapped his foot impatiently on the floor. This was the breakfast that wouldn’t end! First they’d had tea. Then Sofia wanted coffee, so they’d ordered coffee. Then a fruit platter. But they were still hungry. So they shared an omelet. But it wasn’t big e
They ordered four desserts and pushed away their plate of French toast to make room for the upcoming food. “It’s pretty,” Vivenne said, lounging back in her chair. She was relaxed now that Gabriel was gone. He’d clearly bought their lie, hook, line, and sinker. She laughed to herself. She adored her son, she really did, in her own Vivenne way. But he could be so bloody gullible sometimes. Especially when it came to his mother. “The resort, I mean. I wanted to hate it, since it’s her little project. But I have to admit, she’s done a good job.” “Who? Amelia?” Sofia snapped. “It’s not that nice.” “Now Sofia,” Vivenne said in a firm tone. “I warned you. You have to play nice. You’re not exactly everyone’s favorite person right now. At least not Gabriel and Amelia’s. If you want to win him back…” “What if I don’t?” Sofia snapped again, crossing her arms over her chest. “This was all YOUR idea. Maybe I should try to find someone else. Like we’re pretending
Gabriel made a beeline for Alfred. Alfred looked a little worse for wear. He had dark rings under his eyes and his hair was unbrushed. He clearly hadn’t shaved that morning and the stubble was showing on his chin. His dress shirt was untucked and his left shoe lace was untied. This was NOT the Alfred Gabriel knew. “Too much to drink last night?” Gabriel asked, eyeing Alfred. But Alfred shook his head.His disheveled appearance had nothing to do with alcohol. This was about Olivia. Well, it was about Asher, really. After the two women had interrupted his argument with Asher in the lobby last night, Alfred had gone back to the party. Asher and Olivia had gone outside to ‘talk’. This had tossed Alfred into quite the funk. He’d skulked around in the corner of the room, with his eyes fixed on the restaurant door. Where was she? Still outside with Asher? He’d waited, patiently (but grumpily) for Olivia to return to the party
A hush fell over the crowd. Jonathan stood strong. At once, he possessed the air of authority that only an Alpha had. “But you didn’t want it,” Lucas cried, shaking his finger at Jonathan. “You never wanted to be Alpha. You told me that. It’s MINE. I’m the new alpha. Not you.” “I changed my mind,” Jonathan said. Then he looked to Magnus. Magnus smiled at him and nodded. “Are you sure?” Magnus asked. “I am, your highness,” he replied. “Then it is with great pleasure that I introduce to you the new Alpha of Blackseed,” Magnus declared. The crowd burst into applause and Jonathan beamed. True, he had never wanted the role before, but things had changed. His people, his pack, they needed his help. “As the new alpha of Blackseed, you have my word that Blackseed will no longer be dealing with illegal potions. We will find a new enterprise, a new business. We will become a media conglomerate, under my rule.” Amelia s
“Everyone, gather around,” Magnus said, his Alpha King voice reverberating around the room. Everyone stopped and stared in his direction. Mercy’s news had been most shocking indeed. Magnus knew that Sephora was up to something but without tangible proof, there was no way to charge her. He had planned on launching an investigation into Sephora and her Blackseed Pack dealings, but now that Mercy had come forward, he didn’t need to. He had all the evidence he needed, and he knew where to collect more.The DJ cut the music. “I have an important announcement to make.” Magnus had wasted no time. He waited for the crowd to settle, some in wolf form, some still in human form. This was odd? What announcement? Right in the middle of the party? It must be very important if Magnus was announcing it in the middle of the party. “Something has recently come to my attention,” Magnus declared. “And it is something we MUST address immediately. There is a traitor amongst us.”
Gabriel pulled Mercy back to the party. He told her to wait here, he was going to talk to Jonathan. Mercy nodded. There was something about Gabriel that made her feel safe. She didn’t know him well, but he was an Alpha, and a strong one at that. So she did as she said. Gabriel made a bee-line for Jonathan. He pulled him aside and started talking to him. Jonathan’s eyes grew wide and he looked over at Mercy, shock on his face. Then Gabriel pulled him in closer and kept talking. Jonathan’s face changed and he started nodding along, obviously agreeing with whatever Gabriel was telling him. Then he smiled. The two of them came back to Mercy. “Mercy,” Jonathan said, reaching for her hands. “You could have told me. You SHOULD have told me. You can trust me. I’m one of your best friends.” Then he brought her in for a hug. It felt so good to be in Jonathan’s arms. He was her oldest friend. She had been terrified that he wouldn’t accept her when he found out sh
Gabriel and Mercy walked over to a quiet spot by the edge of the forest. “You know, don’t you?” Mercy asked, her eyes concerned as she searched his face. “Yes,” he said. “How did you find out?” she asked, already knowing the answer. “It was while you were playing. I realized, you were enchanting us. Mercy, you’re an enchantress?” Mercy looked away for a moment and he could see the pain on her face. “Not exactly,” she said. “Well, yes. But I didn’t know. I honestly didn’t know. It was Sephora. She kept my secret and then, at the warehouse, she…she told me.” “Your secret is safe with me, Mercy,” he told her. “Don’t worry about that. I won’t say anything.” She looked at him with gratitude on her face. “Is it..is witch blood then?” Mercy sighed. He already knew, so she might as well tell him. “Yes,” she said. “Sephora told me. I guess my mother was a witch. She fell in love with a wolf and they, they had me.”
Sephora grabbed Lucas by the arm and hauled him away.“I’m very sorry, Jonathan,” Olivia said. “This must be a bit shocking.”Jonathan nodded then he shrugged. “Not really,” he replied. “I think I’ve always known, deep down, that Lucas wasn’t her real son. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t change anything. It does explain why he was so awful to me all those years, though. I guess he knew, too, in his heart of hearts. He was afraid I would take the Alpha role away from him. I still don’t want it though. He can have it. He’s still the son of a previous Alpha, right?”“Uh, I just thought of something,” Olivia said then, her face pale. “Lucas is my half-brother.” Everyone let that sink in. Then Alfred broke the silence.“Tough break, kid.” He laughed. “But you know what they say? You can’t choose your family.”“No, I guess not,” Olivia laughed. “But you can choose your friends.” Amelia and Jonathan smiled at Olivia.“I feel like I should go,” Agatha said. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”
Sephora recognized Agatha the moment she walked in. That bitch! That human that stole her husband’s heart with her seduction? What was she doing here? Sephora’s mind flashed back to the day she found her husband was cheating on her was a human! Sure, Agatha claimed that he was keeping her there against her will, but she was lying. Sephora knew it. She was perfectly content in her little love nest. The cottage her husband gave her! And now she was pregnant? If the pack found out, Sephora would be the laughing stock of the entire pack! So she had quickly devised a plan. She would keep the baby and raise it as her own. Her husband could keep his pretty little human. Whatever. It didn’t matter. As long as NO ONE KNEW! But then she’d run away and people had found out. She’d gone straight to the Alpha King himself. Sephora had rejected it all, called Agatha a liar. Why would her husband, the Alpha of Blackseed, love a lowly human. It was preposterous! Most people had b
“Davison,” Agatha smiled. “Come, sit with us.” “Oh no, I can’t stay long. And neither can you. Olivia’s friends are waiting for her at the gala. I just thought I’d check in to see how the little reunion is going.”“Reunion? Dad, did you…did you know about this? That she was coming here tonight?” “Of course. I’m the one who invited her.” “What?”“She looks just like the pictures,” Agatha said, stroking Olivia’s hair.“Pictures? What pictures?” Olivia asked. Something wasn’t making sense here. Agatha told her she had left when Olivia was little. But these two were talking like old friends? “He’s kept in the loop,” Agatha smiled. “Over the years.” “Really?” Olivia asked. This was all news to her. “Yes,” Davison confirmed. “I’ve been in contact with Agatha over the years. She made a huge sacrifice, leaving you. So I made it my mission to keep her updated on you and your life.” “He sends me pictures. And tells me about what you’re u
Lucas. Of course. Olivia nodded. There had been rumors that Lucas wasn’t Sephora’s son by birth, which is why Lucas has been so mean to Jonathan over the years. Jonathan had told Amelia that his brother had even tried to kill him once. That’s why Jonathan had left the pack. It was ironic, because Jonathan didn’t even care about being Alpha. He didn’t want it. But it made sense now as to why Lucas was so aggressive and hated Jonathan so much. Deep down, Lucas must have known that Sephora was not his birth mother. Which meant he wasn’t the rightful heir to the pack, Jonathan was. So Lucas had tried to force Jonathan to leave, to get him out of the way, so Jonathan wouldn’t be a threat. This was all starting to make sense now. “It was a secret, one that I swore to keep.” “What happened after Lucas was born?” “I stayed. For a bit. I didn’t know what else to do. But he…he got worse. Meaner. More forceful. I told him I wanted to leave, and he threatened me.
Olivia stumbled backwards, shocked. “Mmmm, mother?” she stammered. Amelia grabbed Olivia’s arm to steady her. “That can’t be.” The woman looked uneasily at everyone in the wings. “Can I talk to you?” she asked, stepping towards Olivia. “Will you walk with me? So I can explain?” the woman asked. Olivia shook her head in disbelief and turned to Alfred. He smiled gently at her and nodded his head. “Give her a chance to explain,” he told her. “Trust me, I’m just as shocked as you are, love. But she deserves a chance to explain herself.” Amelia and Jonathan agreed.“I don’t know what’s going on, but I agree with Alfred. You should talk to her.” So Olivia left the wings of the stage and followed the woman to the bench overlooking the lake.The gala was in full swing inside and they could hear the music and the people laughing. It was a calm evening, and the water was so calm it looked like glass under the light of the moon. “I know this must be quite the